Trauma-related symptoms have been observed and documented in veterans of military engagement since the existence of the ancient Greeks. While these symptoms have been identified by a plethora of other names, including shell shock, war neurosis, battle fatigue, and soldier’s heart, it wasn’t until 1980 that these symptoms were formally recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder […]
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the response efforts created an omnipresent effect of COVID-19 to individuals in the United States and globally in 2020. This literature review was written in 2021, one year after the outbreak, and recent studies have reported that the COVID-19 pandemic was an event that elicited behavioral, emotional, and psychological turmoil […]
The purpose of this paper is to assist non-Black therapists address critical issues when treating Black women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper was written from a place of cultural humility in an effort to educate on how to provide culturally relevant treatment, rather than an attempt to speak for Black women. […]
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (DPDD) is identified as a dissociative disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Revision (DSM-5) and a neurotic disorder in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Although a consistent definition has been accepted by the psychology community since the late 1800’s, the disorder is still misunderstood and […]
Almost 10 years ago, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established national initiatives to provide training and consultation in two evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Karlin et al., 2010): Prolonged Exposure (PE; Foa, Hembree, & Rothbaum, 2007) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT; Resick & Schnicke, 1993). In addition, a number of […]
Conversion disorder, formerly known as functional neurological disorder, does not have one known etiology, similar to many other disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, depression, etc.) (Faustman, 1995; Stansfeld & Rasul, 2007). The lack of a specific etiology may be due to the fact that there are various specifiers that can be used within the conversion disorder diagnosis. […]
Childhood trauma is a national concern as approximately one-half of children in the United States experience at least one traumatic event (National Survey of Children’s Health, 2012). Although staggering, help in the form of evidence-based treatments is available for pre-school-aged children exposed to trauma. Recommended treatments include Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), Trauma-Focused […]
Psychology researchers have long lamented that practicing therapists do not make use of research findings in their clinical work. For their part, clinicians have argued that much of what researchers have studied has not adequately addressed the issues that they confront in their practices. This gap between research and practice continues to exist, even in […]
An area of diversity often overlooked is socioeconomic status. Homeless clients are at an extreme end of the socioeconomic status continuum and present with concerns and stressors related to poverty. People often start psychotherapy due to a major stressor in their lives. Finally, after some apprehension, they make the initial leap to get help and […]
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is one of the largest comprehensive health care systems in the world. Although unique in some regards, it can serve as an ideal laboratory to study the implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) given the abundance of federal funding and top-down administrative support. The VA provides an organized, centralized […]